Chinese basketball fans still mourning the retirement of homegrown NBA superstar Yao Ming now have a consolation prize: the chance to watch one of Yao's most talented teammates play multiple times a week in their own time zone.

Seven-time NBA All-Star Tracy McGrady confirmed on his Facebook page Wednesday that he is coming to China to play for the Qingdao Eagles.

'I have been to China several times in the last few years and I love the people and the country,' he wrote. 'It will be an honor to play for them.'

The message follows a report by Yahoo Sports on Tuesday that said McGrady had signed a one-year contract with Qingdao, part of the Chinese Basketball Association, after failing to secure a guaranteed deal with an NBA team this season. Hobbled by knee problems, the 33-year-old has bounced around the NBA in recent years, moving from New York to Detroit to Atlanta over the past three seasons.

McGrady may be a shadow of the scorer he once was, but he appears set for a warm welcome in China, thanks in large part to his association with Yao.

He was Yao's teammate on the Houston Rockets from 2004-10, a period that saw the team reach the playoffs five times. During the 2007-08 season, he memorably led the Rockets to 22 straight wins, including 10 without Yao, who was sidelined by an injury. During 2008-09, his last full season with the Rockets, he had the No. 4 top-selling jersey in China.

Yao retired from the NBA in July 2011.

McGrady posted a Chinese translation of his Facebook statement to Sina Corp.'s Weibo microblogging platform, where he has more than 44,000 followers. Responses on the site were mixed, with many unable to reconcile their excitement at being able to watch McGrady play in person with disappointment at his having settled for what even Chinese fans describe as a second-class league.

'I'm not thrilled, but I respect your decision,' wrote one typically conflicted fan. 'I guess it's good for you to come. A lot of people here love you. And now we're a bit closer.'

Basketball players with NBA experience are an increasingly common sight on CBA courts. Last year, the league found itself temporarily flooded with top talent as players like J.R. Smith and Kenyon Martin defected amid a labor dispute with the NBA.

Still, the CBA hasn't welcomed a player with McGrady's pedigree since former New York Knick and current Beijing Duck Stephon Marbury made the country his second home in 2010.

A two-time NBA All-Star, Marbury led Beijing to its first-ever CBA championship last season, scoring 41 points in the final game to erase years of embarrassment for the franchise.

Qingdao, which has never appeared in the CBA finals, is expecting McGrady to accomplish something similar.

'What we value about him is his experience and technique,' Eagles General Manager Sheng Xishun told The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday. 'We hope he can help the team move up to a leading spot in the CBA, the way Marbury did [in Beijing].'

A local media report linked to from McGrady's Weibo page said the player's deal with the team included an annual salary of roughly $1 million. Mr. Sheng would not confirm or deny that number, saying the terms of the contract were confidential.

In 2009-10, McGrady was the NBA's highest-paid player, earning roughly $22.5 million. Last year, he played for the NBA's veteran's minimum salary, which for a player with his experience was around $1.3 million.

The Eagles GM insisted the team is not worried about McGrady's injury history, but said 'he will go undergo a thoroughphysical when he arrives.' Mr. Sheng added that he is confident the star does not have plans to return to the NBA mid-season.

The tone of McGrady's announcement on Facebook certainly seems to leave little room for a return to the basketball's biggest stage. 'I am proud of the mark I left on this game and am grateful to have been a part of this league,' he wrote. 'It was a dream to play in front of all of you, each night, in every stadium. Thank you.'

Qingdao expects McGrady to join the team on Oct. 24 or 25.

Josh Chin

• mourning [´mɔ:niŋ]   n.悲伤；治丧；戴孝   (初中英语单词)
• talented [´tæləntid]   a.天才的；能干的   (初中英语单词)
• wednesday [´wenzdi]   n.星期三   (初中英语单词)
• detroit [də´trɔit]   n.底特律   (初中英语单词)
• welcome [´welkəm]   a.受欢迎的；可喜的   (初中英语单词)
• injury [´indʒəri]   n.伤害；毁坏；侮辱   (初中英语单词)
• jersey [´dʒə:zi]   n.毛织运动衫；毛线衫   (初中英语单词)
• platform [´plætfɔ:m]   n.(平)台；讲台；站台   (初中英语单词)
• unable [ʌn´eibəl]   a.不能的；无能为力的   (初中英语单词)
• excitement [ik´saitmənt]   n.兴奋；骚动；煽动   (初中英语单词)
• disappointment [,disə´pɔintmənt]   n.失望；挫折   (初中英语单词)
• league [li:g]   n.同盟；社团   (初中英语单词)
• talent [´tælənt]   n.天才；才干；天资   (初中英语单词)
• dispute [di´spju:t]   v.&n.争论，辩论；争吵   (初中英语单词)
• player [´pleiə]   n.游戏的人；选手   (初中英语单词)
• manager [´mænidʒə]   n.经理；管理人；干事   (初中英语单词)
• journal [´dʒə:nəl]   n.日记；日报；杂志   (初中英语单词)
• annual [´ænjuəl]   a.每年的 n.年刊   (初中英语单词)
• confirm [kən´fə:m]   vt.证实；认可；加强   (初中英语单词)
• undergo [,ʌndə´gəu]   vt.经历(受)；遭受   (初中英语单词)
• physical [´fizikəl]   a.物质的；有形的   (初中英语单词)
• grateful [´greitful]   a.感谢的；令人愉快的   (初中英语单词)
• houston [´hju:stən]   n.休斯顿   (高中英语单词)
• translation [træns´leiʃən, trænz-]   n.翻译；译文；译本   (高中英语单词)
• reconcile [´rekənsail]   vt.调和；使和谐   (高中英语单词)
• roughly [´rʌfli]   ad.粗糙地；毛糙地   (高中英语单词)
• saying [´seiŋ, ´sei-iŋ]   n.言语；言论；格言   (高中英语单词)
• minimum [´miniməm]   n.最小量 a.最小的   (高中英语单词)
• thorough [´θʌrə]   a.彻底的；详尽的   (高中英语单词)
• confident [´kɔnfidənt]   a.有信心的，自信的   (高中英语单词)
• announcement [ə´naunsmənt]   n.通告；宣布；言谈   (高中英语单词)
• retirement [ri´taiəmənt]   n.退休；撤退；幽静处   (英语四级单词)
• consolation [,kɔnsə´leiʃən]   n.安慰，慰问   (英语四级单词)
• atlanta [ət´læntə]   n.亚特兰大   (英语四级单词)
• increasingly [in´kri:siŋli]   ad.日益，愈加   (英语四级单词)
• temporarily [´tempərərili]   ad.暂时地   (英语四级单词)
• championship [´tʃæmpiənʃip]   n.拥护；奋斗；锦标赛   (英语四级单词)
• embarrassment [im´bærəsmənt]   n.窘迫；困惑；为难   (英语四级单词)
• retired [ri´taiəd]   a.退休的；通职的   (英语六级单词)